Dun Laoghaire Baths site gets green light for renewal

27 February 2015 10:49 AM

Old Sea Baths, Dun Laoghaire

A redevelopment of the old Dun Laoghaire Baths site into a leisure area has moved a step closer.

Planned work by Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Council requires a foreshore licence from the Department of the Environment and this week the council was given approval in principle. Further legal formalities must be concluded.

Independent Councillor Victor Boyhan last night called a period of public consultation on the redevelopment to begin “as soon as practically possible.”

The works proposed includes:

• Refurbishment of the existing baths pavilion to accommodate studio space for artists, an art gallery, a cafe and public toilet facilities, demolition and clearance of all other derelict structures on the site,

• Provision of a public walkway through the site connecting the coastal walkway at Newtownsmith to the East Pier.

• Provision of defences against coastal erosion on the landward side of the existing swimming pools.

• Refurbishment of the area between the baths site and the East Pier, including the old bandstand, and construction of a new jetty and an area for changing to provide enhanced access to the water for swimmers at all stages of the tide.